Pakistan

Current issues and comments...

Intelligence agencies of Pakistan have a big name the world over. These agencies have certainly done wonders in the past. Taliban are nothing but their creation during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Prior knowledge about Taliban should have been an asset for these intelligence agencies to build on. That hasn't happened. It is the failure of these agencies to provide accurate information about Taliban leadership, dispositions etc which necessitated and is also the cause of prolongation of Swat operation and the likes. Otherwise, neutralizing 5000 Taliban (reported to be present in Swat region according to military spokesman) was not a big deal and it would not have required undertaking such a big operation involving 20 to 30 thousand troops and causing over two million people homeless IDPs. It is doubtful if the army operation will be able to kill/capture all of the 5000 Taliban. There are news bout Taliban fleeing from the Swat region. So, at the end of the day, the gains of Swat operation aren't likely to be worth the effort and the price paid. We need to beef up our intelligence agencies or even reshuffle them, provide them resources in plenty to acquire accurate information about Taliban and the likes. Let us concentrate on this aspect rather than planning Swat like operations elsewhere in the country. We don't have to kill an ant with an elephant. Hiring a thief to catch a thief is a far better proposition. Buying a few hundred of Taliban to neutralize the rest is the course we need to follow. If foreign agencies, as is the perception, can buy Taliban against us, why can't we buy some of them to neutralize the rest.